Citizens honored for their efforts

October 17, 2012

Austintown Township trustees paid tribute to several residents whose efforts over the past years have made a positive impact on the community. Proclamations were given to members of the Austintown Fitch Athletic Hall of Fame and to Pat Connolly from the 9/11 Memorial Project.

Marty Dyer, Tim Kelty, Patrick Smrek, and Jerry Bruff represented the Hall of Fame committee in accepting the proclamation. Their organization has been in existence since 2007 and over the recent years, it has honored Falcon athletes, teams, and athletic supporters who left their mark during their time at Fitch.

Connolly was honored at the Oct. 8 meeting for the hard work and dedication he had put in with the Austintown Beautification Committee's 9/11 Memorial Project on Raccoon Road across from the new AMS. The project began in 2004 and was recently completed with the addition of metal beams salvaged from the World Trade Center. The 9/11 Austintown memorial has become somewhat of a national landmark and was among the first memorials to the tragic event to be built.

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Austintown Fitch Athletic Hall of Fame committee members, Marty Dyer, Tim Kelty, Patrick Smrek, and Jerry Bruff were issued a proclamation at last week’s township meeting for the work they have done in preserving the memory of great Falcon athletes since the Hall of Fame began in 2007. Township Fiscal Officer Laurie Wolfe presented the men with the proclamation from trustees.

Trustees Jim Davis, Lisa L. Oles, David Ditzler and Fiscal Officer Laurie Wolfe join in congratulating Patrick Connolly (center), chairman of the Austintown Beautification Committee (9/11 Memorial Project) honoring the work he has done to bring the memorial to the township park land on Raccoon Road.

"Visitors come from all over the United States to view the park and this park has become the home for the Tri-County Area Annual 9-11 Memorial Service held every year," said Trustee Lisa Oles.

Moving from honoring residents to the business portion of the meeting, trustees approved a motion to seek bids for a $500,000 loan in anticipation of calendar year 2013 first half property taxes. Township Administrator Mike Dockry said it is something the township does every six months to avoid a cash flow problem.

He said the county collects the property taxes, then gives the township its share, usually in late January or February. The problem is the township has bills and payroll to meet before that money comes in. Dockry said that requires taking out a short-term loan to make sure the township has funds at the beginning of each six-month period. It is a regular task that has become a little more involved in recent years.

"In the old days we used to get quotes from banks, fill out some paperwork and have our money in a few days," Dockry said. "Now with all the paperwork involved, we have to start months earlier to ensure the funds are there in January."